June 15, 2026 — Sweden delivered a dominant 5-1 victory over Tunisia in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup Group F fixture on Sunday, putting down an early marker for their knockout stage ambitions with a polished attacking display led by midfield star Yasin Ayari, who scored two goals. Right from the opening kickoff, the Scandinavian side pressed forward with clear attacking intent, and they wasted no time translating their pressure into an opening goal. In the 7th minute, Ayari found unmarked space just outside the Tunisia penalty box, unleashed a powerful low strike that beat the Tunisian goalkeeper to put Sweden 1-0 up. Sweden maintained firm control of possession and territory through the first half, doubling their lead in the 30th minute with a clinical counter-attack after breaking up a Tunisian foray forward. Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak carried the ball down the left flank, cut inside toward goal, and slot a precise finish into the bottom right corner to extend Sweden’s advantage to 2-0. Tunisia looked set for a lopsided first half, but the North African side pulled one back just before halftime to reignite tension in the match. In the 43rd minute, defender Omar Rekik directed a well-placed header from a cross into the back of the Swedish net, bringing the score to 2-1 heading into the break. Tunisia entered the second half hoping to build on their late first-half goal and push for an equalizer, but a costly defensive mistake derailed their comeback hopes just 15 minutes after the restart. In the 60th minute, Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres capitalized on miscommunication between Tunisia’s backline, intercepted a sloppy pass, and coolly finished past the goalkeeper to restore Sweden’s two-goal lead at 3-1. That goal broke Tunisia’s resistance, with Sweden continuing to create high-quality chances through the final 30 minutes. In the 84th minute, Mattias Svanberg thought he had scored Sweden’s fourth, but the goal was initially ruled out for offside. After a VAR review of the footage, the decision was overturned and the goal was awarded, pushing the score to 4-1. Deep into six minutes of stoppage time, Ayari put the finishing touch on Sweden’s win with a superb individual goal, securing the final 5-1 scoreline and claiming his second brace of the fixture. The comfortable three-point win puts Sweden in an excellent position early in Group F, reinforcing their stated goal of advancing to the knockout round of the tournament. For Tunisia, the heavy defeat means the side will need to regroup quickly ahead of their upcoming group matches to keep their hopes of progressing to the next stage alive.